The financial ecosystem available to early-stage biotechnology firms and its misalignment with interests of these firms, of the biotechnology industry and with global disease burden

Abstract

The development and commercialization of new therapeutics have had immense impact on the quality and length of human life.  Nevertheless, the biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry have evolved to be driven mostly by a profit oriented market system, in which distinct stakeholders interact with different motivations to make the development and commercialization of therapeutics a reality.  This study discusses the funding ecosystem available for early-stage biotechnology companies and its influence on the their strategic business objectives and on the biotechnology industry.  On the basis of this, distinct paradoxes in the funding ecosystem are uncovered, which suggest that the present ecosystem is not well aligned with the interests of these biotechnology firms, the biotechnology industry, and it neglects strategic disease burden needs. It is recommended that even partial resolution of these paradoxes will enable further growth in the industry and lead to more innovative therapies for untreatable diseases with large social and economic burdens.  In light of this, the study proposes improvements of financing approaches and an increase of available capital in the funding ecosystem of early-state biotechnology companies.